Adelaide man Sam Moore is set to kayak the full length of the River Murray – all 2,400 kilometres of it – completely unassisted. And he’s already raised $150k for a cause close to his heart.
Simone Curati got stuck under the Mildura bridge last week during the terrifying storm.
On Saturday, Mr Moore, 34, will set off from Bringenbrong Bridge in NSW to kayak the full length of the River Murray – all 2400km of it – completely unassisted.
It’s a mighty mission he expects to take about 70 days, and one which could bring serious physical challenges including extreme chafing, blisters, trench foot and hypothermia, plus sun, wind and saddle burn. But it’s the solitude he’s most worried about.
“This will be worse (than Afghanistan),” Mr Moore said. “I did all that with people.”
“All you had to do in the army was look left and right, see someone was worse off than you, and that would give you reassurance you’d be fine.”
Sam with the six-metre kayak he’ll spend three months in, paddling 2,400 kilometres of the River Murray.
Former Corporal Sam Moore in Afghanistan, 2017.
But between now and early September, when he reaches the Murray Mouth southeast of Goolwa, it will be just him, his 6m kayak, emergency supplies, two weeks worth of food – he’ll stock up in towns along the way – a tent, mattress, and a trolley to help him navigate the 60m-drop off The Hume Dam on the NSW-Victorian border, at which point he’ll have to walk, kayak in hand.
“It’s a logistic nightmare,” Mr Moore said.
“You can sort of prepare but so many things can happen. You can get delayed by winds, then come into town late on a Sunday when the shops are closed.”
Navigation might have been straightforward a year ago, but broken banks and estuaries – the results of recent floods – will add to the challenge.
While Mr Moore has long been drawn to adventures that force “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable”, his primary purpose is to raise funds for The Heart Foundation, a cause close to his heart.
Sam thinks the months ahead of him will be the hardest of his life so far, but the cause he’s doing it for – The Heart Foundation – will get him through.
Five years ago, someone Mr Moore had looked up to for most of his life died suddenly of a heart attack. This tragedy was followed by the death of his best mate’s father due to ongoing heart complications.
These incidents inspired him to launch the Top to Bottom fundraiser to support life-changing heart research and provide heart-healthy resources for everyday Australians.
Mr Moore’s original goal to raise $50,000 was smashed in a matter of weeks. He’s now raised just shy of $150,000 on his way to his new $250,000 goal.
“That’s what will keep me going,” Mr Moore said.
“When I’m buggered, averaging 40km a day, I’m freezing and completely solo, I’ll just look at that number and remember why I’m doing it.”
To donate or read more about Mr Moore’s mission, visit his Top to Bottom fundraiser page.
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